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Keywords:

G0B4619N#54970193

Abstract:

Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in childhood. It is caused by a variety of non-progressive brain lesions, resulting in neuro-motor impairments. At young age, children with CP experience alterations in soft tissue structures within the muscle and tendon unit. The clinical picture of these muscular impairments involves spasticity, increased stiffness and weakness that progress with age and contribute to the gradual loss of functional capacity, characterized by abnormal gait and gross motor function. In Suriname, middle income-country in Latin America, treatment for children with CP is not always prescribed and the possibility for treatment is limited. Studying a cohort of children with CP in Suriname, without ongoing treatment or treatment history, offers the opportunity to gain insight in the natural course of the development of muscular impairments in CP as well as on the effect of specific interventions on muscle morphology, spasticity, weakness and functional capacity.